Russian Tanker Makes a Run for It as U.S. Destroyer Blocks Path to Venezuela

By Bloomberg News (Bloomberg) — A sanctioned Russian oil tanker made a U-turn on the way to Venezuela after a US warship intersected its route near the country’s coast, according to Bloomberg tanker tracking, raising questions about whether Washington could step in to curtail Moscow’s energy aid to Caracas. 

The Russian vessel, the Seahorse, was en route to Venezuela to deliver a fuel cargo on Nov. 13 when a US destroyer, the USS Stockdale, positioned itself in its path. The Russian vessel changed course, heading toward Cuba, and the warship sailed near Venezuelan territorial waters toward Puerto Rico. The Seahorse has since tried to approach Venezuela twice, but turned back both times and remains idling in the Caribbean.

The warship’s intentions with regard to the Russian vessel are unclear, and a spokesperson for US Southern Command declined to comment on the ship’s movements. The USS Stockdale arrived in the Caribbean in late September, along with a dozen other warships, to support President Donald Trump’s declared anti-narcotics operations in the region.

The Seahorse, meanwhile, is under sanctions from the UK and European Union and is one of four Russian vessels that delivers a diluent called naphtha to sanctioned Venezuela. 

Despite its abundant oil reserves, the barrels Venezuela produces are sludgy and sulfurous, meaning it needs lighter oil products — known as diluents — to help supplies flow through pipelines. Venezuela relies heavily on imported naphtha because the limited amounts it produces are used to make gasoline for the fuel-starved nation.

“This incident represents another increment in the squeeze that the US is putting on the Maduro regime,” said Mark Cancian, a senior defense adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “A reduction in oil exports would severely hurt the regime because oil is virtually its only export.”

The tanker had discharged a cargo in late October, traveled to Cuba, and was heading back toward Venezuela when the US ship showed up in its path. Its movements since then have been unusual, as Russian fuel vessels typically don’t make U-turns or idle on the well-trodden trading route between Cuba and Venezuela. 

The White House, a Kremlin spokesperson and Venezuela’s Information Ministry didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment late Thursday.

While Venezuela was able to receive naphtha shipments from Chevron during the Biden administration, Trump’s renewed “maximum pressure” policy on Nicolas Maduro has halted those imports. Venezuela now relies on Russia for deliveries. President Trump first imposed oil sanctions on Venezuela in early 2019, during his first term.

Following the Trump administration’s most recent show of force, Venezuela and PDVSA bonds have reached their highest levels since 2019. A change in leadership would, the argument goes, help unlock oil wealth needed to put the country on more stable footing while setting the table for a debt restructuring. 

–With assistance from Alex Tribou, Alex Longley, Patricia Garip.

© 2025 Bloomberg L.P.

Subscribe for Daily Maritime Insights

Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update

— trusted by our 107,048 members